Advocacy

To create a fairer society for people who are blind or have low vision we respond to injustice. We work alongside people to overcome individual barriers, and through targeted lobbying and campaigning, we inform policy makers, politicians, businesses and industry groups to drive positive change across Australia.

How we can support you

The law and Vision Australia are on your side. If you’re encountering barriers, including discrimination at work, or refusal of entry to a club or taxi because you are in the company of a Seeing Eye Dog, we can support you.

Get in touch

If you would like to advocate for change on your own behalf or require one-on-one advocacy support, we can help you negotiate the outcome you are after.

Behind the scenes

To create a society where people who are blind or have low vision have equal rights, a significant part of our advocacy takes place behind closed doors. We inform policy-makers and debates, develop policies, influence political leaders and lead community consultations to ensure people who are blind or have low vision have a strong voice in leading change.

Employment

The blindness and low vision community has an unemployment rate of people who want to work of 58% and change for greater inclusion is desperately overdue.

We’re advocating for:

All government departments to adopt the new ICT procurement standards. This will ensure that people with disability have the workplace tools and technology to get the job done.

The public sector disability employment target to be raised to 7%.

Accessible banking

Self-service banking is increasingly a way of modern life. Yet for people who are blind or have low vision, technologies such as touchscreens are being introduced in ways that exclude the blind and low vision community from equal access to essential banking functions, such as entering a PIN to make a purchase or pay for a restaurant meal.

We’re advocating for:

The Australian Bankers' Association to develop standards and guidelines to ensure that all banking products and services are accessible to the disability community, including people who are blind or have low vision.

Accessible voting

Voting in secret should be afforded to every Australian citizen. Yet the vast majority of voters who are blind or have low vision rely on others to cast their vote, defeating the right of voting independently or in secret.

We’re advocating for:

Commonwealth and State electoral commissions and key politicians to introduce independent and secret means of voting. iVote is the current best system, and we are pushing for iVote to be taken up by every jurisdiction.

Aged Care

Older people who are blind or have low vision are not able to get support through the NDIS. That’s why Vision Australia has been at the forefront in lobbying for changes that make the aged care system more disability friendly.

Older people who are blind or have low vision should not have to rely on donations simply to get the support and service that other Australians enjoy through a properly functioning aged care system.

We’re advocating for:

A national Aids and Equipment Scheme that is linked to My Aged Care, helping ensure the assessment process is geared to identify and respond to blindness.

Adequate support for people who are blind or have low vision who live in residential aged care.